The game of golf has developed over the centuries, beginning in ancient Rome, continuing in Scotland, and finally evolving to its current form in the United States, Great Britain and the rest of the world.
The rules of golf, as principally propounded by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of Saint Andrews and the United States Golf Association, call for a round of golf to be played over a course of 18 holes. Each golf hole begins with an area of closely mown grass, know as the tee, and ends at another area of closely mown grass, known as the green. In between the tee and the green are various areas, including the fairway, the rough, different forms of hazards (including sand and grass bunkers, water, etc.) and other generally indigenous terrain. Out of the green, a small circular hole (4¼ inches in diameter) is cut. This hole is known as the “cup”. Golf holes range in length from approximately 100 yards to approximately 650 yards. 18 hole golf courses typically range in total length from 5,000 yards to 7,500 yards.
Golf is played using specially designed equipment, including clubs and balls, all of which must be configured per the rules of the relevant governing body. Clubs generally have a club head (used to strike the ball), an elongated, tapered, substantially tubular shaft to which the club head is attached, and a hollow substantially tubular piece made of rubber, leather or similar material, called the grip, which is placed over the shaft at its end opposite the club head.
The player stands astride of the ball, with feet apart and aligned substantially parallel to the desired line of ball travel. The player faces substantially perpendicular to the desired line of ball travel. The player holds the club with two hands on its grip. In the standard grip of a right handed golfer, the left hand is above the right, generally with the pinky finger of the right hand overlapping or interlocking with the index finger of the left. The player generally bends from the knees and waist, with slight crouching or arching of the back. The player swings the club (a stroke) in a motion which may involve action by the hands, wrists, arms, elbows, shoulders, torso, legs and feet, with the desired effect of striking the ball and propelling it forward, generally in the air, in the direction of the hole, in a straight line (or in a controlled and predictable arc.)
The player begins play of each hole at the tee, and hits as many strokes as are required to play the ball through to the green and into the hole. The object of the game is to play all 18 holes in the fewest number of strokes possible. The number of strokes in which a skilled player should complete each hole is referred to as “par” for that hole, and, when added together, the pars for all holes make up the par for the golf course. Par for a standard golf hole ranges from 3 to 5 strokes. Par for a regulation golf course is typically between 70 and 72 total strokes.
Each golf club is designed for a specific purpose, such as driving the ball off the tee, playing from the fairway or rough at various distances, recovering from hazards such as sand traps, and striking the ball on the green (called “putting”). The club used for putting is called a “putter”.
Putting is unique, in that it is intended that the ball travel substantially on the ground toward the hole. In all other shots, the ball is meant to travel more-or-less in the air toward the hole.
The standard putting stance calls for the player to stand astride of the ball, or with the ball aligned opposite the player's foot nearest the hole, facing substantially perpendicular to the line of desired ball travel, feet aligned substantially parallel to the desired line of travel, knees slightly bent, with the back slightly crouched or arched, waist bent up to 90 degrees from erect. The standard putting grip in the right handed golfer calls for the left hand to be above the right on the putter grip, with the pinky finger of the right hand either overlapping or interlocking with the index finger of the left (as in the normal golf grip) or with the index finger of the left hand overlapping the ring and pinky finger of the right (called the reverse overlapping grip.)
It should be noted that with this standard grip, the right arm is more extended than the left, with the right hand and arm providing most of the motive force, and controlling, the putting stroke. This configuration can result in more error and less repeatability, because the side of the body controlling the stroke is the farthest from the intended path of travel and the target. The controlling side must therefore cross the body in its extension toward the target, with the body of the player potentially interfering with that extension.
One widely used variation of the putting grip, known as the “cross handed” grip, calls for the player's left hand to be placed below the right hand on the putter grip in the right handed putting stroke. The left arm is therefore more extended, and the left arm and hand provide the motive force, and control, the stroke. The possibility for variation and error is decreased as a result, because the controlling side does not have to cross the body in its extension toward the target.
Although the easiest stroke to learn initially, putting is the most precise and challenging aspect of golf to perform well. Since putting is directed at actually causing the ball to fall into the hole, it requires more precision than other golf strokes. Those other strokes are generally more concerned with distance and general direction of ball travel.
Further, because the ball is meant to travel on the ground, the golfer must take into account various elements relating to the terrain over which the player must putt to insure that his or her putt is accurate. These elements include the pitch of the ground over which the ball must travel (up, down and across) and factors relating to the grass itself (such as grain, length, grass type, and other surface conditions (such as surface moisture and foreign matter)). These elements all affect the direction and the force with which the player must strike the ball so that it will travel as desired. To putt well requires knowledge, finesse and experience to “read” the green (predict how the ball will roll), and to strike the ball in the direction and with the force that will cause it to end up falling into the hole, or, failing that, close enough to the hole so that it can be made to fall into the hole on the next stroke with relative ease.
In calculation of par for each hole, it is anticipated that a player will require two putts.
Putting is the most important element of the game to master, because one putting stroke counts equally with any other stroke played, even though the putt is played over a much shorter distance. A player can make up for many deficiencies in other elements of his or her game by putting well.
In order to putt the ball with precision, it is generally desirable for the golfer to have a putting stroke that is as repeatable and free of mechanical variation and error as possible. Achieving an error free, repeatable putting stroke is particularly difficult, given that the putting stroke is a highly refined motion performed principally with the fingers, hands, wrist, arms, elbows and shoulders. Particularly the wrists, hands and fingers have a multitude of bones, muscles, tendons, etc., which can serve as almost infinite sources for stroke variation or error. Even minor variation in the positioning and/or action in the stroke of any of these body elements can cause variations and/or errors which cause the putt to have a result other than that desired or intended by the golfer.
Much effort is devoted by the experienced golfer to perfecting a repeatable and error free putting stroke. Over time, one of the negative side effects of such effort is a syndrome known as the “yips”. A player affected by the yips is unable to complete a normal putting stroke. The yips may cause the player to be unable to initiate the putting stroke at all, or to be unable to bring the club through the ball without substantial spasming of the hands, wrists and/or arms (even to the point that the ball is struck with excessive or inadequate force, often at an angle as much as 45–60 degrees or more off the desired target line.) The yips are particularly prevalent in affected players when putting at short distance (6 feet or less.) Yips often affect the controlling hand (e.g., the right hand in a right-handed golfer.)
For many years, it was felt that the yips were a purely psychological phenomenon. However, recent research indicates that the condition may in part be neurological in nature (a focal dystonia of some kind).
Many methods have been developed in an attempt to enhance repeatability and reduce the possibility of error in the putting stroke. See, e.g., Tramell et al, Method of Putting a Golf Ball, U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,577; Miller, Method of Putting, U.S. Pat. No. 5,616,089; and Guendling, Jr., Method of Putting a Golf Ball, U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,228. However, no method developed to date is as mechanically sound and eliminates the possibility for mechanical error and variation to the extent of the present invention. Also, the present invention provides for flexibility of posture and grip not present in some other methods disclosed to date. Also, because the putting stroke of the present invention involves two points of contact on the target side of the player's body, the left shoulder, arm, and hand control and provide most of the motive force in the putting stroke. The involvement of the non-target (normally controlling) side of the player's body is substantially incidental. Therefore, the method of putting of the present invention may be employed to avoid the yips by those so affected.
It should be noted that all of the foregoing descriptions of swing and grip apply equally to the left handed putting stroke, but the hand and body positions as described above are reversed.